Why life will go on if Apple debuts a gold iPhone

Rob Enderle, 21st August 2013

First, let’s start off by saying the vast majority of rumors circulating before the imminent debut of a new Apple iPhone are patently false. Historically, many were started by the powers that be at Cuperino in an effort to more accurately trace corporate leaks.

However, the reports may also be true. Nevertheless, it appears this particular rumor hasn’t been all that well received, as too many folks appear to be very upset by the idea of a gold phone. So let’s put your mind at ease this week by confirming the appearance of a gold iPhone won’t destroy life as we know it.

Porsche

What many seem to forget is that Steve Jobs redesigned Apple with two companies in mind: Sony from the standpoint of consumer electronics and Porsche from the perspective of design. Now while I would agree that just like Ferrari’s should always be painted red and Porsche 911s (the car closest to the iPhone model) in silver or black, both manufacturers release their cars in other colors and neither have failed in the process.

I’ll grant you that wrapping a Ferrari in gold or a Porsche in gold wouldn’t be in the best of taste but I have seen gold Porsche cars, painted, over the years and many were damned attractive. So much so that I had one of my cars painted Porsche gold at one time (Sunbeam Alpine) and it turned out rather nicely. Granted, I’d asked for Porsche Silver and someone screwed up, but the result actually looked better than the Silver eventually did. It was one pretty car.

However, one would expect Apple to execute the color with some taste, simply because their design staff is still considered one of the best in the consumer electronics market, certainly earning the right to have the benefit of the doubt. Although Porsche actually once designed a Gold Blackberry - and I saw it a few months ago in person. Honestly, I thought it looked rather nice. I also have a computer case they designed and it remains one of my favorites.

Choices

There will be other colors for the phone. While I expect a gold iPhone would likely debut at a premium price (given the reaction I wonder if it will sustain that price), but there clearly will be other choices. So if you don’t like gold, you won’t have to buy the gold. Choice is a good thing and even if Apple were, and I think this incredibly unlikely, to screw this phone up you can pick another color. Granted, if you do and the gold turns out to be really popular, you’ll look like an idiot which suggests you might want to wait a week or so to make that choice, but it’s not like you won’t get one.

Cases

No one in their right mind buys an Apple phone and refuses to put a protective case on it. So, even if you get a gold one, you’ll see it few times and only by choice. I think most folks see their phone’s natural case two times, when they buy the phone and when they turn the phone in and exchange it for another. The rest of the time it is fully covered up. So even if you bought a gold iPhone and later hated it you could just leave the protective case on it when you turned it in and never see the color again.

Wrapping Up: You’ll Live and So Will Apple

Companies have to feel free to experiment. If we blast them for every new idea they try out they’ll stop trying out new things and the same old stuff gets really old after a while. They made iPods in colors, so why not iPhones? Given you rarely see the phone without a case, well, do you really care what color it is? In any case, there are a lot of things to be concerned about this year including a President that is drone happy, a security service who wants to know what you are doing and big companies that own the US Government. Really, a rumored gold iPhone shouldn’t even make our list.